They’re called sandboxes, but we never play with them more than once. Video game open worlds are magical, intricate places where anything and everything can happen, were even the most unassuming alley can be the start of an adventure. It’s about time we gave them the respect they deserve.

In space, no-one can hear you plot. FTL’s bare-bones narrative style does the job amid the ship explosions and deadly pirate battles, but isn’t ideal for immersion. Take a look at how text boxes and lasers don’t mix, how they do, and how they could with just a little tweaking. [This post originally appeared on AWESOMEoutof10.]